Veteran golf commentator Peter Alliss has spoken out over the likely move of coverage of the Open from terrestrial TV to Sky, comparing fighting against the deep pockets of Murdoch’s media empire to ‘playing poker against Donald Trump or Warren Buffett’.
The results of negotiations for the rights to broadcast the Open beyond 2016 are expected to be announced within the next two weeks, with Sky being the likely beneficiary of the BBC’s dwindling commitment to cover live golf in recent years.
Alliss, who first covered the Open for the BBC in 1961, told the Daily Mail: “The BBC can’t compete against Sky’s bottomless pockets, but it hasn’t helped itself by not approaching the R&A to cover some of the other events it runs, like the Amateur Championship, the Boys Championship and the Walker Cup. We used to do those events years ago, so why not now? I think it would have shown the R&A that it cared. I definitely think, going back, there were people who fought harder to keep tournaments on the BBC. At one point we covered 18 events.”
While rounding on the BBC’s lack of commitment to covering golf, the 83-year-old broadcaster questioned whether the R&A had the best interests of golf in mind by selling The Open to the highest bidder. “I’m not sure the R&A balance the books in the best way,” he said. “They’re very generous to golf clubs who have parts of their course eroded by the sea and do great deeds around the world, but think about the audiences the BBC get for the Masters over Sky. It’s always five times as much. Shouldn’t the R&A take those figures into account, when participation levels in the game are falling?”
The veteran commentator was, however, full of admiration for the way Sky has covered golf. “You can’t deny that Sky do a fantastic job. You might be annoyed at the adverts, but they go to faraway places and cover these events, even though there might be only eight people watching on Thursday. Their commitment to show everything is extraordinary.”
Alliss, who became the BBC’s lead commentator in 1978, said he was happy that he was coming to the end of his career, rather than just starting out. “I’m just glad I am 83 not 35, and reliant on working for the BBC’s sports department, because I think I would be looking for another trade.”